Cotton-separator.



w. A. PATTERSON. COTTON SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1908.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w. A. PATTERSON. GOTTON SBPARATOR. APP-LIOATIOR' I'IL ED AUG. 22, 1.908.

939,303. Patented Nov. 9, 1909. I '2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Z5. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN A. PATTERSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE COTTON HAR- VESTER COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

COTTON-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VARREN A. PATTER- son, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Separators, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to a cotton separator, and the object of my invention is to construct a machine to completely separate the fiber from the bolls of cotton.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 'Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a front view of the adjusting mechanism, with parts broken away; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is a vertical section, with parts broken away, taken through the feed hopper, and the front portion of the machine; Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view, and section showing the improved form of rib which I employ; and Fig. 6 is a view of one of the end skeleton rings.

Referring by numerals to they accompanying drawings :--1 indicates a supporting base for the front end of the machine, provided with standards 2, the upper ends of which are connected by means of a transverse bar 3, and the said bar and standards, as shown, being preferably formed integral; and the said bar being provided with vertical openings, and the central screw threaded opening a. The standards 2 are each provided with perforated lugs 5.

Adjustably mounted in the transverse bar 3 is a frame 6, said frame being provided with suitable bearings 7 and with posts 8, which are adapted to pass through the vertical openings in the transverse bar 3 and the perforated lugs 5. Said frame 6 is adjusted by and supported in its desired adjustment by means of a screw 9, provided with an operating wheel 10. By means of this screw the front end of the machine may be lowered or elevated, as desired, so that the machine may be brought to any suitable degree of inclination.

11 indicates a bearing plate, said plate being provided with trunnions l2, and adapted to be positioned in the bearings 7 of the frame 6. The said plate is provided on its top edge with a bearing. 13, and in its bottom portion with a bearing 14:; and inter mediate bearings 15 and 16, for the purposes more fully hereinafter described.

The rear end of the machine is .supported by standards 17, and provided with bearings or journals 18; that is to say, (referring to, Fig. 1,) there are two standards 17, the one illustrated, and one on the opposite side of the machine, and each standard is provided with a bearing 18.

19 indicates a plate similar in construction to the plate 11 heretofore described, and provided with trunnions 20, the said plate 19 being provided with bearing openings, the same in number and similar to those formed in the plate 11. Said openings are adapted to receive the opposite ends of the same shafts that are mounted in the bearings 13, 1 1, 15, and 16 formed in the plate 11. The plate 19, however, is not subject to any vertical adjustment, but is so constructed that it may be tilted or rocked in the journals 18 when the front end of the machine is vertically adjusted.

21 indicates a shaft, one end of which is mounted in the bearing 13 in the plate 11, and the opposite end is mounted in a suitable bearing formed in the plate 19. Positioned on said shaft 21 is a collar 22. The lower end of the shaft 21 projects through the plate 19 a sufiicient distance to receive a belt pulley 23. Keyed on this shaft 21, or secured thereto in any suitable manner, are skeleton rings 24. Said rings 24 are provided with openings 25 for the shaft. The rims of said rings are connected to the center bearings by means of arms 26. Said rings are also provided with openings 27.

Adjacent the openings 25 are recesses 28, V

which receive and hold in place the ends of the blades 29, which are mounted on the shaft 21, and the front ends of said blades being tapered. g

30 indicates what may be termed a feed cylinder, and its construction is one of the important parts of my invention. It is con structed of a series of rings 31, and eachring is provided with a tapering rim 32. The rings are spaced apart by means of laterally projecting bosses 32*, formed on internally projecting arms 32, and the spaces between the tapering ribs of the rings receive the saws which separate the fiber from the bolls of cotton. When said rings are assembled into the form of a cylinder, the inwardly projecting bosses form internally projecting longitudinal ribs. The bosses of each one of the rings 31 are provided with alined openings 33, and said openings are in alinement with the openings 27 formed in the rings 24; and these rings are mounted on suitable tie rods 34, which pass through the openings formed in the bosses; and also the openings formed in the rings 24, the rings 31 being interposed between the rings 24; and by means of nuts 35, the rings 31 and 24 are securely held together, thus forming a cylinder made up of a series of rings, provided with tapering rims, the said rings being spaced apart throughout the length of the cylinder.

Positioned beneath the cylinder 30 are shafts 36 and 37, the front end of the shaft 36 being mounted in the bearing 16 formed in the plate 11, and the front end of the shaft 37 being mounted in the bearing 15 formed in the plate 11; and'the opposite ends of said shaft being positioned in suitable bearings formed in the plate 19.

Mounted on the shaft 36 in any suitable manner is a series or row of saws 39, and mounted on the shaft 37 is a series or row of saws 40. Said saws extend throughout the length of the cylinder 30, and operate in the spaces between the rings 31 for the purpose of removing the fiber from the bolls. In Fig. 3 the relative position of the saws to the cylinder is illustrated, also the direction of rotation of the cylinder and the di rection of rotation of the saws, so it will be seen that the cylinder rotates from left to right and both rows of saws rotate from right to left; that is to say, the feed cylinder which feeds the bolls to the saws feeds the bolls to said saws in a direction with the rotation of the saws as distinguished from feeding the bolls against the rotation of said saws, thus preventing choking of the saws.

Mounted in the bearing 14 of the plate 11 and the bearing formed in the plate 19 is a shaft 41, and mounted on said shaft is a cylinder brush 42, which cylinder brush is positioned below the rows of saws 39 and 40 and comes in contact therewith and is adapted to rotate, reference being had to Fig. 3, from right to left. This brush is utilized to remove the fiber from the saws.

vLocated between the rows of saws 39 and 40 is a plate-43. This plate prevents the fiber from the rows of saws 39 from being thrown onto the rows of saws 40, and as its lower edge is spaced apart from the cylinder brush 42, it permits the fiber from the rows of saws 40 to be carried underneath. The shaft 36 carrying the rows of saws 39 is geared to the shaft 41 carrying the brush 42 by means of gear wheels 44 mounted onthe shaft 41, and 45 mounted on the shaft 36. i

50 indicates the discharge for the bolls 4 and 51 indicates the hopper into which the, cotton bolls are fed. 7

The operation of my machine is as follows: The cotton bolls, with their contained cotton, are fed into the hopper 51 and passed into the cylinder 30, and are operated on by the rows of saws 39 and 40. The rate of feed may be regulated by varying the degree of inclination of the machine; that is to say, if it is desired to change the feed rapidly, the front end of the machine is elevated, and if the front end of the machine is lowered it will feed more slowly; that is to say, the greater degree of inclination the faster the machine will feed and the cotton bolls will pass through the cylinder quicker. Of course it will be understood that the feed may be varied by the rotation of the cylinder 30 that is to say, the faster the cylinder rotates the faster the feed; but, assuming that the rotation is constant, the rate of feed may be varied by adjusting the front end of the cylinder, as above described. The internally projecting arms 32, and their bosses, 32 when the rings are assembled to make up the cylinder, virtually form on the inside of the cylinder internally projecting ribs through out the length of the cylinder. These ribs carry the cotton fed to the cylinder, and when each successive rib discharges the cotton carried by it, said cotton is received on the blades 29 and i-t is distributed and brought into contact with the rows of saws 39 by means of the internally projecting ribs and the blades 29 mounted on the shaft 21. The cotton fed to the cylinder 30 is carried and distributed and brought in contact with the rows of saws 39 and 40 a number of times, so that the fiber is thoroughly removed from the bolls. The front ends of the blades 29 are tapered, so that the feed to the cylinder is not interfered with.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cotton separator, a cylinder com-, posed of a series of rings spaced apart, internally projecting longitudinal ribs carried by said cylinder, a series of saws disposed beneath the cylinder and operating between said rings, a brush disposed beneath the saws, and means for imparting rotation to said cylinder, said saws and said brush.

2. In a cotton separator, a cylinder composed of a series of rings spaced apart, a

shaft projecting through said cylinder, blades mounted on said shaft, internally projecting ribs carried by said cylinder, a series of saws disposed beneath the cylinder and operating bet-ween said rings, a brush disposed beneath the saws, and means for imparting rotation to said cylinder, said saws and said brush.

3. In a machine of the class described a hollow cylinder made up of a series of rings spaced apart, means whereby said cylinder is rotated, a series of saws arranged for operation so that their peripheries pass through the spaces between the rings and means whereby the front end of the hollow cylinder is raised and lowered to vary the inclination thereof.

at. In a cotton separator an inclined hollow cylinder made up of a series of rings spaced apart, internally projecting longitudinal ribs carried by said cylinder, means whereby said cylinder is rotated and means whereby the inclination of the cylinder is varied.

5. In a cotton separator an inclined hollow cylinder made up of a series of rings spaced apart, means whereby. said cylinder is rotated, means whereby the front end of the cylinder is raised and lowered and held in the desired adjustment, and a series of saws the peripheries of which pass through the spaces between the rings.

6. In a cotton separator an inclined hollow cylinder made up of a series of rings spaced apart, means whereby said cylinder is rotated, means whereby the front end of the cylinder is raised and lowered and held in the desired adjustment, a series of saws the peripheries of which pass through the spaces between the rings and a brush engaging the toothed peripheries of the saws.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VARREN A. PATTERSON.

Witnesses EDWARD E. LONGAN, E. L. lVALLAoE. 

